2016 SXSW Interactive offers a robust and deep range of topics by some of the best thought leaders from marketing to technology. We’ve specially curated a list of must attend talks and panels based on their relevance of topic, application to your business, strength of speakers, and how they align to the following five key trend territories we’ve identified for 2016. 1. Social Messaging 2. AI and Emotive Robotics 3. Virtual Reality 4. Dark Social 5. Connected Everything This guide will assist SXSW Interactive conference goers to navigate the sea of content, key experiential events to visit and some of the better local establishments.

1. 2016 SXSW Interactive offers a robust and deep range of topics by
some of the best thought leaders from marketing to technology.
We’ve specially curated a list of must attend talks and panels
based on their relevance of topic, application to your business,
strength of speakers, and how they align to the following five key
trend territories we’ve identified for 2016.
1. Social Messaging
2. AI and Emotive Robotics
3. Virtual Reality
4. Dark Social
5. Connected Everything
For additional insight and analysis of the trends above, feel free to
reach out to our Chief Digital Officer, Tom Edwards at
tom.edwards@epsilon.com
#EpsilonSees
#SXSW

2. #EpsilonSees #SXSW
Friday, March 11
Lerer’s Theory of Media Evolution
Why: Understand how the evolving media landscape
will change the way we connect and build trust with
consumers.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon G
We’re Not Gonna Take It:
Ad Blocking and User Revolt
Why: With a host of ad-blocking companies (aided by
Apple) making it easier for users to avoid ad views, it
is getting harder to reach customers. Find out who’s
doing what to fix this issue.
Sheraton Austin | Capitol Ballroom
11:00am – 12:00pm
12:30 – 1:30pm
The Next Multibillion Opportunity:
Marketing in Messaging
Why: A panel of key executives from Kik, Snap,
Comedy Central and Unilever will address how to
effectively engage consumers in messaging apps to
reach audiences. Brands need to understand the right
way and what’s available to effectively connect.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon J
Proximity Predictions:
The Future of Advertising
Why: Brand and mobile marketers come together
to predict how mobile engagement will evolve
over the next 18 months. As smartphones and
sensors provide brands the ability to connect with
their audiences, it’s important to understand how
emerging technologies will allow us to do this more
effectively and efficiently.
Courtyard Marriott | Rio Grande Ballroom
#EpsilonSees #SXSWContact: Tom.Edwards@epsilon.com | 214.708.8118
Deep Web and Dark Social:
Is Anything Really Private?
Why: Understand the implications of Deep Web i.e.
Facebook and Dark Social i.e. email, text messaging
and its overall impact on how consumers are
connecting behind the scenes to uncover richer
insights into your customer’s online behavior.
Austin Convention Center | Room 8ABC
Go Native or Go Home:
Ads and Addictive Content
Why: As ad-blocking adoption grows, native content
provides brands a solution to connect with their
customers in an authentic way. This panel should
provide insights into how both brands and bloggers
are collaborating and co-creating content together.
Westin Austin Downtown | Continental 3
3:30 – 4:30pm
5:00 – 6:00pm
Marketing to Moments that Matter
Why: Gain insights on how consumers connect
around their most important moments on Facebook
and Instagram and how brands can participate to
enhance these moments. Get good insights into not
only the right way to enrich moments, but also get
your audience to amplify your brand message with
their networks.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon H |
Mobile Deep Linking: Let’s Talk about Apps, Baby
Why: With over 1.5M apps, discovery is becoming a
significant challenge for brands to get their app
discovered. Deep-linking offers a solution for brand to
partner with other app platforms to create a cohesive
seamless experiences, thus driving discovery and
engagement.
JW Marriott | Salon D

3. Saturday, March 12
Get the Message! The Rise of Conversational UI
Why: The rise of AI and chatbots is forcing designers
and experienced designers to reconsider interaction
models between systems and consumers. Chatbots
offers brands a unique ability to scale connections with
their users and promote content discovery, but it is
important to delineate the differences in interaction
models between chatbots/human and human/human
interaction.
JW Marriott | Salon D
IoT: A Thousand Touchpoints of Marketing
Why: Discuss the rules of engagement of a connected
world, when everything could be a message: what are
the organizing principles for branding and advertising in
a sublimely connected world. Brand marketers need to
understand the ramifications of when every device is
connected, the role of devices, how and what data to
capture, and when and how to message in an ubiquitous
world.
Sheraton Austin | Capitol Ballroom
9:30 – 10:30 am
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
The Future Will Be Personalized
Why: Personalization is becoming expected. Consumers
are bombarded with so many messages they will now
only pay attention to things that matter to them when
they matter the most. Brands need to understand how
they can take this further into the product level to drive
deeper loyalty.
Westin Austin Downtown | Continental 1-2
Virtual Reality and the New Sales Experience
Why: The implications of VR in the retail space and
what that means for brands as we move to a “Retail
Everywhere” environment. Understanding how to
design the right virtual experience can help drive trial
and in-store traffic.
Sheraton Austin | Capitol Ballroom
#EpsilonSees #SXSWContact: Tom.Edwards@epsilon.com | 214.708.8118
LEGO Group and Cartoon Network: Building
Future Fans
Why: Finding the right partner and platform is
becoming invaluable in an environment where it’s
becoming more difficult to scale your reach. Partners
can not only help you reach the right audience, but
also connect with them in a deeper and more
contextually relevant way.
Austin Convention Center | Room 12AB
12:30 – 1:30 pm
3:30 – 4:30 pm
AI and Your Shopping Habits:
Why: In addition to this being hosted by some of the
biggest online shopping platforms, Zappos and
Pinterest, this panel will provide you with insights and
examples of how different companies are using
machine learning to uber-curate and personalize their
customers’ shopping experiences.
Westin Austin Downtown | Continental 3
Rise of the Social Employee
Why: Social Media isn’t just a tool for consumers to
broadcast their feelings and opinions about brands to
their networks, but also been a vehicle for employees
to do the same thing about your company. The CEO
of Hearsay Social discusses how you can leverage
this new paradigm and turn it into a way to attract
new and deepen existing relationships with clients.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon E
#EpsilonSees #SXSW

4. Sunday, March 13
Analytics for Social Marketing
Why: Aligning your organization on the right social
metrics can help transform Big Data into actionable
insights that will help you uncover new patterns and
trends, providing insights for your product development,
and micro-segment customers to refine marketing
campaigns.
Courtyard Marriott | Rio Grande Ballroom
9:30 – 10:30 am
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
The API Economy: Develop, Innovate, Transform
Why: API’s act as the digital glue that creates seamless
experiences between different services and applications.
Google, for example, leverages the Uber API to keep
their users within the Google maps. As the use of API
explodes, brands need to understand how they are
changing the way brands are building customer centric
seamless experiences
Courtyard Marriott | Rio Grande Ballroom
Human-Centered Design:
Why Empathy Isn't Enough
Why: Successful branded experiences are designed
around the needs and behaviors of its customers. In this
discussion, one of the best brand experience designers
will share principles and tool on how to design
experiences that delight, change behavior and transform
your brand experience.
JW Marriott | Salon FGH
#EpsilonSees #SXSWContact: Tom.Edwards@epsilon.com | 214.708.8118
Creating a Meaningful Dialogue Through Video
Why: Video has become the primary form of content
for people to connect with each other and for brands to
connect with their audiences. Hear the head of brand
solutions for Vimeo and the Director of Content Strategy
for Edelman discuss how brands, platforms and creators
can partner to create meaningful rich content for their
right audience.
Austin Convention Center | Room 12AB
Mo' Money Mo' Problems: Luxury Confronts
Digital
Why: Learn how luxury brands can remain exclusive
even in the openness and infinite web. Panelists from
Havas Luxe, Giorgio Armani and Lamercatique will
explore how luxury brands can remain niche and
aspirational while embracing digital and social channels.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon J
2:00 – 3:00 pm
3:30 – 4:30 pm
Let’s Drop the Term Millennials
Why: Millennials are now the largest spending cohort,
but we need to think beyond their impact now and think
about their influence on culture and design for future
generations. Philipe Von Borris, CEO and Co-founder of
Refinery29, will explain to us why we need to reframe
Millennial from an age-group to a mindset, and what this
means for the future of business and society.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon H
Understanding Average: The Inertia of Culture
Why: The idea of mass adoption or achieving scale can
be difficult in environment of niches and personalization.
Learn insights into the behavior of average Americans
and how you can leverage these to inform your strategy
and creative.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon H
Deconstructing Creepy:
New Tech, Old Social Norms
Why: Privacy has been one of the most highly debated
topics. Executives from both Slack technologies and the
Future of Privacy forum discuss risk mitigation strategies
on how to avoid the next privacy snafu.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon K
12:30 – 1:30 pm
#EpsilonSees #SXSW

5. Monday, March 13
Smart Ad Campaigns: It’s Not about the Product
Why: Consumers are looking beyond brands just selling
them products to delivering content that connects in a
meaningful way. This panel will provide you with insights
and thought starters on how you can create content that
inspires genuine and loyal relationships with customers.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon J
Less Is More: Curated Consumption
Why: The internet has created choice paralysis on a
mass scale. Infinite product and service options lead
to few discoveries and opportunities wasted. More
and more consumers are turning to sources they trust
to curate lists of choices so they don’t have to. Learn
how companies like Pluto TV are curating content to
drive higher engagement and loyalty with their
platform.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon G
9:30 – 10:30 am
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
The Social Celebrity Secret Sauce
Why: Celebrities aren’t born out of TV or movies
anymore, they can come from any social platform,
and today they wield an enormous amount of influence
on their audiences. Learn from some of the top online
celebrities their secrets on how they grow and engage
with their audiences.
Austin Convention Center | Next Stage
Lead, Not Follow: The Consumer's Mobile
Journey
Why: Smartphones are the primary interaction point
between brands and consumers. They are with them
from the moment they wake till the moment they
go to sleep. In this panel discussion, you’ll learn the
rules of engagement on how leading brands are
proactively leading customers through the mobile
purchase journey rather than following them.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon H
#EpsilonSees #SXSWContact: Tom.Edwards@epsilon.com | 214.708.8118
How All Brands Can Win with Game Advertising
Why: Twitch, Facebook, Nielsen, and IAB come together
to discuss how brands set key game industry trends,
the type of advertising formats, and share use cases on
how brands are using live gaming, one of the fastest
growing industries, for into maximum brand impact.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon J
12:30 – 1:30 pm
3:30 – 4:30 pm
Live Streaming Is Bigger than You Think
Why: If you can’t make it to How All Brands Can Win
with Game Advertising presentation then here is another
chance to learn how companies like Twitch and Coca-
Cola are using live-streaming and gaming to drive
engagement.
Austin Convention Center | Room 12AB
5:00 – 6:00pm
12 Inevitable Tech Forces That Will Shape Our
Future
Why: Because it’s Kevin Kelly, one of the founding
editors of Wired Magazine and one of the most prolific
thinkers of our time. He will take you through a journey
of 12 forces from AI to VR and beyond that will
fundamentally change the marketing landscape.
Austin Convention Center | Ballroom D
Building Great Data Visualizations:
A Case Study
Why: Let’s face it, data can be a dry thing to present.
Learn how experts from Climate Central and the
founder of Radish Lab partnered to convert
temperature data into a compelling, yet simple,
interactive visual.
Hilton Austin Downtown | Salon G
#EpsilonSees #SXSW

6. Tuesday, March 15
Immersive Content: The Future of Storytelling
Why: Immersive content is the next level of storytelling.
Publications like the New York Times have been
experimenting with immersive content such as Google
Cardboard, but how will it evolve as technology
progresses? O2 and the United Nations will take you
through their first foray into VR films and discuss where
it might be going.
Austin Convention Center | Ballroom C
Predictive Decisions to Deliver High
Performance
Why: Formula 1 is one of the most complex sports
with almost infinite variables that could go along.
Learn from the McLaren Racing team how they use
predictive analytics to deliver on high performance
and take a lesson on how we can apply the same
approach to data analytics.
Austin Convention Center | Ballroom 8ABC
12:30 – 1:30 pm
2:00 – 3:00pm
Making Distributed Content Work in News
Why: Although not a marketing focused talk, panelists
from two of the largest news sources will provide
insights and opportunities on how to make distributed
content work.
Austin Convention Center | Ballroom 8ABC
#EpsilonSees #SXSWContact: Tom.Edwards@epsilon.com | 214.708.8118
Subtle Interfaces: Designing for Calm Tech
Why: We keep thinking of interfaces as only
a screen, but there are also other screen-less variations,
for example Amazon’s voice controlled Alexa, that we
can design for and deliver messaging. This panel will
discuss how they design for varied experiences and
share insights on how they design products that respond
to social contexts.
JW Marriott | Salon D
3:30 – 4:30 pm
#EpsilonSees #SXSW

7. Mashable House
Experience the internet of the future
The Main | 610 E 6th St
IBM Cognitive Studio
Come experience Watson as you are guided
through a playground for your cognitive
senses at the IBM Cognitive Studio!
Brazos Hall | 204 E 4th St
Gatorade Fuel Lab
Showcase of the latest in sports fuel
innovation through an immersive
experience. To serve today’s evolved
athlete, Gatorade is combining new data
about performance, nutrition and
Brazos Hall | 204 E 4th St
Kodak Moments
Step inside a memory and go on a journey
through the senses and the meaning of
moments in the digital age. Directed by
Marcos Lutyens.
Austin Convention Center | Ballroom D
Refinery 29’s School of Self Expression
An immersive classroom — and visual
playground — where creativity, technology,
and style collide. Explore expert-led classes,
interactive art installations, and the newest
tech fueling expression today.
Mexic-arte | 419 Congress Ave
#EpsilonSees #SXSWContact: Tom.Edwards@epsilon.com | 214.708.8118
Continental Club
Hotel Vegas
Shakespear’s
Scoot In
Bars with Live Music
Recommended Events And Lounges
#EpsilonSees #SXSW
Casino El Camino
Cheer Up Charlie’s
Hole in the Wall
Bars
Spiderhouse
Coffee Shop/Bar Restaurant
with Live Music and Film
Franklin's bbq
Enchiladas y Mas
Komé Sushi Kitchen
Hoover's Cooking
Chilito
Alborz Persian
Restaurants
El Patio
Lucy’s Fried Chicken
Hoboken Pie
Stubb's BBQ
The Parlor Pizza
Magnolia Café